Human composting, formally called natural organic reduction (NOR), is the contained, accelerated conversion of a human body into nutrient-rich soil. The body is placed in a vessel with organic materials like wood chips, straw, and alfalfa, and over roughly 60 to 90 days, naturally occurring microbes break it down into about one cubic yard of usable earth. It’s legal in 14 U.S. states as of 2025, with more than a dozen others considering legislation.
How the Process Works
The body is placed inside a large steel vessel or container and surrounded with plant materials: wood chips, straw, and alfalfa. These carbon-rich materials create the right balance for microbial activity to accelerate decomposition. The vessel is periodically aerated, meaning oxygen is pushed through the mixture to keep the microbes active and the process aerobic rather than letting things rot in a stagnant, odor-producing way.
Internal temperatures in the vessel climb well above 130°F (55°C) and stay there for days. North American environmental regulators require that all material in a composting system maintain temperatures above that threshold for at least three consecutive days to destroy pathogens. This sustained heat is what makes the process safe, neutralizing bacteria, viruses, and most pharmaceuticals that may be present in the body.
After about 30 days, the material is removed from the vessel. Any inorganic items, such as metal implants, pacemakers, or dental hardware, are sifted out. Bone fragments that haven’t fully broken down are pulverized and mixed back into the soil. The mixture then moves to a curing bin, where it dries and stabilizes for another two to four weeks. From start to finish, the entire process takes roughly 60 to 90 days.
What Families Receive
The end product is clean, dark, nutrient-rich soil, similar in appearance and texture to what you’d buy at a garden center. A single body typically produces about one cubic yard of finished compost. Families can take all of it, take a portion, or donate the rest. Common uses include spreading it in a garden, around a memorial tree, or in a conservation area. Some providers will donate unclaimed soil to land restoration projects on behalf of the family.
Who Cannot Use Human Composting
Not every body is eligible. The first U.S. provider, Recompose, and Washington state law both exclude bodies affected by prion diseases (such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease), Ebola, and tuberculosis. Local health officials can also flag other potentially infectious conditions on a case-by-case basis. People who received certain radioactive medical treatments, such as radiation seed implants used in some cancer therapies, are also ineligible because the radioactive material would contaminate the finished soil.
Environmental Impact Compared to Burial and Cremation
One of the main reasons people consider human composting is the environmental footprint. Cremation burns natural gas at high temperatures for hours and releases roughly one metric ton of carbon dioxide per body, depending on the facility and the body’s size. Traditional burial carries its own costs: embalming chemicals, hardwood or metal caskets, concrete vault liners, and the ongoing land and maintenance a cemetery requires.
Recompose estimates that its process releases about 20 kilograms of CO₂ per body, saving roughly one metric ton of emissions compared to cremation. That figure has drawn some scrutiny. The human body itself contains about 14.5 kilograms of carbon, and fully oxidizing that amount produces over 55 kilograms of CO₂. Aerobic composting also generates some methane and nitrous oxide, both potent greenhouse gases. One analysis estimated that composting 100 bodies (roughly 50 tons of material) produces the equivalent of nearly 15 tons of CO₂ in non-CO₂ greenhouse gases. Transportation to the facility adds further emissions. Still, the overall carbon footprint is significantly lower than cremation and avoids the resource-intensive materials of conventional burial.
Where It’s Legal
Washington became the first state to legalize human composting in 2019, with the law taking effect in May 2020. Since then, 13 more states have followed: Colorado, Oregon, Vermont, California, Nevada, New York, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Arizona, New Jersey, and Georgia. Some of these, like California and New York, are still completing their regulatory rulemaking, meaning providers can’t yet operate there even though the law has passed.
At least 15 additional states have introduced legislation, including Illinois, Massachusetts, Texas, Ohio, and New Hampshire. The trend has been steady: roughly two to four new states have legalized NOR each year since 2021. If you live in a state where it isn’t yet legal, it’s worth checking current legislative status, as the landscape is shifting quickly.
Cost
Human composting typically runs between $5,000 and $7,000. That range varies by provider, location, and what’s included. Most services bundle transportation of the body, the composting process itself, and delivery or pickup of the finished soil. Some offer additional memorial or ceremony options at extra cost. For comparison, the median cost of a traditional funeral with burial in the U.S. exceeds $7,800, and cremation with a service averages around $6,000 to $7,000. Human composting falls in a similar range but eliminates the need for a burial plot, headstone, and ongoing cemetery fees.
How It Differs From Green Burial
Green burial and human composting both aim to reduce environmental impact, but they work differently. In a green burial, the unembalmed body is placed directly in the ground in a biodegradable shroud or simple wooden casket, typically in a conservation cemetery with no concrete vaults or manicured lawns. Decomposition happens naturally in the soil over months to years. Human composting accelerates that same biological process in a controlled vessel, producing usable soil in weeks rather than years. The choice between them often comes down to geography (whether either option is available nearby), cost, and whether the family wants soil returned to them or a physical gravesite to visit.